(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component feeding apparatus for conveying electronic components such as chip components in a ranging condition and feeding a foremost electronic component to a component taking-out position.
(2) Description of the Related Art
This kind of an electronic component feeding apparatus has been disclosed in a Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H6-232596. The apparatus disclosed in the application has functions to discharge chip components contained in a bulk state in a storeroom onto a belt through a component conveying pipe, to convey the discharged chip components by use of a belt, and to stop the conveyed chip components at a predetermined component taking-out position by use of a stopper.
In the above-described apparatus, since the belt is used in order to convey chip components forward, a mechanism for moving the belt, for example, a ratchet mechanism for intermittently moving the belt becomes separately necessary. Recently, a reduction in cost has been requested for this kind of apparatus, but in the above-described apparatus requiring the belt and its moving mechanism in order to convey components, there is naturally a limit to reduce the apparatus cost. Apart from the above-described apparatus, there has been known an apparatus utilizing air suction for conveying the chip components forward, but since a large-sized suction source such as a vacuum pump will be separately required, and air piping from the suction source will become complicated, this is not suitable to reduce the apparatus cost.
An object of the present invention is to provide a low-priced electronic component feeding apparatus simple in structure, capable of precisely feeding electronic components.
In order to attain the above-described object, the present invention comprises: a component passage for conveying electronic components in a ranging condition, said component passage having a component outlet port; a shutter for opening and closing the component outlet port of the component passage; a component stopper for stopping an advancement of the electronic components, said component stopper including an air suction path which leads to the component outlet port of the component passage; an air suction unit having an air suction port; an air tube for communicating an air suction force from the air suction port of the air suction unit to the air suction path of the component stopper; and a lever mechanism for operating the shutter and the air suction unit so that the air suction force acts in the air suction path of the component stopper through the air tube when-the component outlet port of the component passage is closed by the shutter, and no air suction force acts in the air suction path of the component stopper through the air tube when the component outlet port of the component passage is opened by the shutter.
According to this electronic component feeding apparatus, the air suction force generated in the air suction unit is caused to act on the component outlet port of the component passage through the air tube and the air suction path of the component stopper, whereby it is possible to cause a flow of air toward the component stopper within the component passage through the use of this air suction force, to convey the electronic components within the component passage in the ranging condition by means of this flow of air, and to cause the foremost electronic component to abut on the component stopper. Therefore, such the belt and its moving mechanism, the large-sized suction source such as the vacuum pump, the air piping from this suction source and so on in the conventional case are not required in order to convey the electronic components.
Also, the air suction force acts in the air suction path of the component stopper through the air tube when the component outlet port of the component passage is closed by the shutter, and no air suction force acts in the air suction path of the component stopper through the air tube when the component outlet port of the component passage is opened by the shutter, whereby conveyance of components by air suction can be precisely executed.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention, structural features, and operational effect will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.